About Finding NeverLand
Finding Neverland is a 2004 semi-biographical film about playwright J. M. Barrie and his relationship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan, directed by Marc Forster. The screenplay by David Magee is based on the play The Man Who Was Peter Pan by Allan Knee. The film was nominated for several Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Depp's portrayal of J. M. Barrie, and won one for Jan A. P. Kaczmarek's musical score.
The Plot of Finding NeverLand
The story focuses on Scottish writer J. M. Barrie, his platonic relationship with Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, and his close friendship with her sons, who inspire the classic play Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up.
Following the dismal reception of his latest play, Little Mary, Barrie meets the widowed Sylvia and her four young sons in Kensington Gardens, and a strong friendship develops between them. He proves to be a great playmate and surrogate father figure for the boys, and their imaginative antics give him ideas which he incorporates into a play about boys who do not want to grow up, especially one named after troubled young Peter Llewelyn Davies. His wife Mary, who eventually divorces him, and Sylvia's mother Emma du Maurier, object to the amount of time Barrie spends with the Llewelyn Davies family. Emma also seeks to control her daughter and grandsons, especially as Sylvia becomes increasingly weak from an unidentified illness.
Producer Charles Frohman skeptically agrees to mount Peter Pan despite his belief it holds no appeal for upper-class theatergoers. Barrie peppers the opening night audience with children from a nearby orphanage, and the adults present react to their infectious delight with an appreciation of their own. The play proves to be a huge success.
Because Sylvia is too ill to attend the production, Barrie arranges to have an abridged production of it performed in her home. She dies shortly afterward, and Barrie finds that her will is to have him and her mother to look after the boys; an arrangement agreeable to both.
The Cast
In addition to Johnny Depp as Barrie and Kate Winslet as Sylvia Davies, the film stars Dustin Hoffman as producer Charles Frohman, Julie Christie as Sylvia's mother Emma du Maurier, and Radha Mitchell (who had starred in Forster's Everything Put Together) as Barrie's wife Mary. Hoffman had appeared a dozen years earlier in title role of the Peter Pan sequel Hook. The original screenplay for this film included a scene in which his character – the play's skeptical producer – was to put on the Captain Hook costume and read some of his lines to point out how silly he found it. Hoffman objected to this, so the scene was rewritten for him to simply read aloud and ridicule character names from the play.
The Llewelyn Davies boys are portrayed by Freddie Highmore (Peter), Nick Roud (George), Joe Prospero (Jack), and Luke Spill (Michael). Highmore's performance in this movie led Johnny Depp to suggest him to Tim Burton for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in which Highmore played Charlie Bucket and Depp played Willy Wonka.[2] Ian Hart appears as Barrie's friend Arthur Conan Doyle. Oliver Fox plays Mary's lover Gilbert Cannan.
Within the film are scenes of a production of the play, featuring Kelly Macdonald as "Peter Pan", Angus Barnett as "Nana", Toby Jones as "Smee", Kate Maberly as "Wendy Darling", Matt Green as "John Darling", Catrin Rhys as "Michael Darling", and Tim Potter as "Captain Hook"/"George Darling", and Jane Booker as "Mary Darling". Mackenzie Crook plays Mr. Jaspers, the theatre usher. Eileen Essell, 82 years old at the time, makes one of her first feature film appearances, as Mrs. Snow, an elderly friend and fan of Barrie's. Like Highmore, she also followed Depp to a role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Jimmy Gardner plays her husband.
Johnny Depp as J. M. Barrie
Kate Winslet as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies
Dustin Hoffman as Charles Frohman
Julie Christie as Mrs. Emma du Maurier
Radha Mitchell as Mary Ansell Barrie
Freddie Highmore as Peter Llewelyn Davies
Nick Roud as George Llewelyn Davies
Joe Prospero as Jack Llewelyn Davies
Luke Spill as Michael Llewelyn Davies
Ian Hart as Arthur Conan Doyle
Oliver Fox as Gilbert Cannan
Mackenzie Crook as Mr. Jaspers
Kelly Macdonald as Peter Pan
Angus Barnett as Nana/Mr. Reilly
Toby Jones as Smee
Kate Maberly as Wendy Darling
Matt Green as John Darling
Catrin Rhys as Michael Darling
Tim Potter as Captain Hook/George Darling
Jane Booker as Mary Darling
Eileen Essell as Mrs. Snow
Jimmy Gardner as Mr. Snow
Paul Whitehouse as The Stage Manager
The Production
Finding Neverland originally was scheduled to be released in the autumn of 2003. Columbia Pictures, which owned the film rights to Barrie's play and was adapting it for theatrical release the same year, refused to allow Miramax to use scenes from the play in Finding Neverland if it were released at the same time.
Miramax agreed to delay the release in exchange for the rights to reproduce scenes from the stage production within the film.
Richmond Theatre in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames doubled as the Duke of York's Theatre - the venue in which Peter Pan was first presented. Exterior scenes were filmed in Hyde Park, Brompton Cemetery and Kensington Gardens. According to commentary on the DVD release, the structure used as Barrie's summer cottage was located near Kent. Interiors were filmed in the Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and the Shepperton Studios in Surrey.
